Office Administration

Transcription

1 Office Administration for CSEC E xaminations Allison Trenfield-Newsome and Colleen Walker CSEC is a registered trade mark(s) of the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC). Office Administration for CSEC Examinations is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by CXC.

2 Macmillan Education 4 Crinan Street London N1 9XW A division of Macmillan Publishers Limited Companies and representatives throughout the world ISBN: Text Allison Trenfield-Newsome and Colleen Walker 2011 Design and illustration Macmillan Publishers Limited 2011 All rights reserved; no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers. These materials may contain links for third party websites. We have no control over, and are not responsible for, the contents of such third party websites. Please use care when accessing them. Design by Jim Weaver Illustrations by Peter Harper, TechType and Gary Wing Typeset by J & D Glover Ltd. Cover design by Cary Fielder at Clear 22 Cover photographs by Alamy, Getty, Macmillan Publishers Limited / Norman Livingston and Superstock The authors and publishers would like to thank the following for permission to reproduce their photographs: AIR CANADA (screen grab used with kind consent of Air Canada, information only correct as at February 2011); Alamy pp100 (t), 146, 250(m), Alamy / Eye Ubiquitous p17 (t); Brother UK Ltd (Images used with the kind consent of Brother UK Ltd) pp18 (ml), 19(b), 250(t), 251(b); Getty pp244, 264(t); Image Source p15; Konica Minolta (Images used with the kind consent of Konica / Minolta Business Solutions UK) pp16, 17(b), 18(mr), 19(t); Liat Airlines Ltd (Images used with kind consent of Liat Airlines Ltd) p145(r) neat (Images used with kind consent of the Neat Company) p114 (b); NEC Corporation (Images used with kind consent of NEC Corporation) p19 (m); Photolibrary / Clear Image p15; RIM (Images used with kind consent of Research in Motion / Blackberry) p123; Sanyo Electric Co Ltd (Images used with the kind consent of Sanyo Electric Co Ltd) p20 (b); Science and Society pp18 (t, b); Superstock pp20 (tl, tr), 21(t), 100(b), 114(t, m), 117, 122, 250(m), 264(b), 266. Commissioned photography by Norman Livingston pp61,145, 240. Printed and bound in Malaysia

3 List of figures and tables Series preface About this book viii xiii xiiv 1 Office orientation 1 Functions of the office 2 Functional areas and departments 3 Organization structure 4 Centralization and decentralization 10 Office layout 11 Virtual office (e-workplace) 13 Ergonomics 13 Equipment used in the office 16 Human relationships 21 Entry-level positions 22 Summary 25 Answers to ITQs 25 Examination-style questions 26 2 Communication 29 The importance of communication 30 What is communication? 30 The communication process 30 Characteristics of good communication 31 Barriers to effective communication 31 Methods of communication 31 Factors affecting the selection of communication channels 32 Communication flow 33 Communication climate 34 Types of communication barrier 35 Decision-making business structures 36 Written communication 37 Oral communication 43 Internal communication links 50 Telecommunication media 50 Visual communication 52 Post Office 53 Electronic mail 54 Mail room 55 Classifications of mail service offered by the Post Office 58 Summary 59 Answers to ITQs 59 Examination-style questions 60 3 Recruitment and orientation 63 Sources of job information 64 Seeking employment 66

4 Making applications 67 Interview 72 Types of letter 74 Orientation 77 Developing a portfolio 78 The work environment 78 Labour laws 78 Summary 79 Answers to ITQs 79 Examination-style questions 80 4 Records and information management 83 What is records management? 84 Importance of records management 84 Classifying records 84 Records lifecycle 85 The File Clerk 86 Filing procedures 87 Classifications of records management systems 87 Cross-referencing 94 File charge-out systems and follow-up procedures 95 Tickler system 96 Colours as indicators 96 Retention periods 96 Laws governing access to and retention of documents 98 Filing equipment and supplies 99 Centralized control and decentralized control 103 Summary 104 Answers to ITQs 105 Examination-style questions Reception and hospitality 109 The reception area 109 What makes a good reception area? 110 Attributes and qualities of a good receptionist 111 Duties of the receptionist 112 Summary 124 Answers to ITQs 125 Examination-style questions Meetings 128 Reasons for holding meetings 129 Types of meeting 129 Formal meetings 129 Informal meetings 131 Articles of association 131 Functions of main personnel at a meeting 131 Robert s Rules of Order 132 Seating arrangements 133 Requisites of a valid meeting 134 Meeting documents 135 Voting at a meeting 138 Follow-up procedures related to decisions 138 Summary 139 Answers to ITQs 140 Examination-style questions 141 iv

5 7 Travel arrangements 143 Making travel arrangements 144 The Travel Department 144 Travel agency 144 Air travel arrangements 144 Car rental arrangements 145 Hotel arrangements 146 Itineraries 147 Scheduling appointments 148 Travel folder 148 Time zones hour time hour time 151 Converting from 12-hour/am/pm time to 24-hour time 152 Travel schedules 152 Airline designators 154 Airport codes 154 Special regulations for air travel 155 Documents required for travel 156 Monetary instruments used in travel 157 Summary 159 Answers to ITQs 159 Examination-style questions Human resources management 163 The Human Resources Department 164 Functions of the Human Resources Department 164 Recruitment and selection of new employees 164 Training 169 Orientation 170 Appraisal and evaluation of employees 171 Staff welfare 172 Promotion, transfers, layoffs and dismissals 172 Deployment of staff 174 The Human Resources Clerk 174 Benefits of legislation related to staff welfare 175 Collective bargaining 176 Employees rights 176 Expectations of employee and employer 176 Maintenance of records used in the Human Resources Department 177 Leave 179 Labour turnover 180 Summary 182 Answers to ITQs 182 Examination-style questions Accounts and financial services 186 Role and functions of the Accounts Office 187 Preparation of payroll 187 Collection of accounts 193 Credit control 193 Preparation of audit 193 The Accounts Clerk 194 Financial institutions 194 Banking 197 Services provided by banks 197 Types of bank account 197 v

6 Payments through financial institutions 198 Bank statement of account 203 Bank reconciliation statement 204 Petty cash 206 Hardware resources 208 Software resources 209 Summary 209 Answers to ITQs 210 Examination-style questions 212 vi 10 Procurement and inventory management 217 Procurement functions 218 What to purchase? 218 How much to purchase? 218 When to purchase? 219 Who to purchase from? 219 Liaising with other departments and offices 219 Terminology and abbreviations used in purchasing 220 The Purchasing Clerk 221 Steps in the procurement process 222 Purchase order form 223 Acknowledgement of order 224 E-commerce 225 Stock 226 Summary 231 Answers to ITQs 232 Examination-style questions Sales, marketing and customer service 236 Functions of the Sales and Marketing Offices 237 Sales Office functions 238 The Sales Clerk 240 The Marketing Office 241 Functions of the Marketing Office 241 The Marketing Office Clerk 246 The Customer Service Department 247 Equipment used in the Sales and Marketing Offices 249 Types of discount 251 Documents used in the Sales and Marketing Offices 253 Summary 255 Answers to ITQs 256 Examination-style questions Operations, Despatch and Transport Offices 259 Functions of the Operations Office 259 Protecting workers and the environment 261 Functions of the Factory Office 261 Technology in production 263 Methods of production 264 Duties of the Factory Office Clerk 265 Documents used in the Operations Office 267 Functions of the Despatch Office 270 Duties of the Despatch Office Clerk 271 Functions of the Transport Office 271 Duties of the Transport Office Clerk 272 Liaising with other departments 272 Documents used in the Despatch and Transport Offices 273 Summary 278

7 Answers to ITQs 278 Examination-style questions Guidelines for preparing the School-Based Assessment 281 The project 281 Criterion 1 Preparation 281 Criterion 2 Gathering data 283 Criterion 3 Presentation 284 Answers to multiple choice questions 286 Index 287 vii

8 Series Preface This new series of textbooks for the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) General Proficiency examinations has been developed and written by teachers with many years experience of CSEC examinations in Caribbean schools. A textbook is used in different ways at different times. Readers might be starting a topic from scratch, and need to be led through a logical explanation one step at a time. Students with a working knowledge of a topic might need to clarify a detail, or reinforce their understanding. Or, they may simply need to believe that they do have a good grasp of the material being studied. In this specially created format (the same for all of the books in the series) the pages are designed to allow study of the text, uninterrupted by anything but essential diagrams. Additional material, including references to unfamiliar technical terms, is placed where it can readily be consulted, in the side column. Examination-style questions are provided for each chapter, and short In-Text Questions (with answers) are placed throughout the text, allowing students to check their grasp of the topic as they read. Teachers throughout the region emphasize that inclusion of school-based assessment (SBA) material is of immense help and value. The CSEC syllabus explains the rationale for the SBA exercise, and explains its expected structure. The structure of the SBA component is explained in the last chapter of the text. Dr Mike Taylor Series Editor xiii